A method and system are provided for opportunistically initiating a multimedia call between two or more devices such as smart speakers at a time when users of the respective smart speakers are available to participate in a call. A server system receives an instruction from a first smart speaker associated with a first user to establish a real-time communication session with a second smart speaker. In response to that instruction, the server system monitors availability of both the first user and the second user at their respective smart speakers. On determining that both the first user and the second user are available at the same time, the server system initiates the real-time communication session between the first smart speaker and the second smart speaker.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for opportunistic initiation of communication, the system comprising: a first smart speaker device associated with a first user, wherein the first smart speaker device comprises at least a microprocessor, a communications subsystem, an audio input subsystem, and an audio output subsystem, the first smart speaker device configured to receive speech input comprising an instruction to set up a real-time communication session on behalf of the first user and to transmit the speech input over a network using the communications subsystem; a second smart speaker device associated with a second user; a server system remote from both the first smart speaker device and the second smart speaker device, the server system comprising at least one processor and at least one communications subsystem, the server system being configured to: receive, via the at least one communications subsystem, the speech input comprising the instruction, responsive to the speech input from the first user comprising the instruction: determine that the second user is currently unavailable for real-time communication, monitor availability of the first user at the first smart speaker device and the second user at the second smart speaker device for a period of time after receiving the instruction, determine, while monitoring, that the first user has ceased to be available for real-time communication, subsequently determining, while monitoring, that the second user has become available for the real-time communication, subsequently determining, while monitoring, that the first user has also become available for the real-time communication, and, when the server system determines that the first user is available at the first smart speaker device and the second user is available at the second smart speaker device, to cause the system to initiate on behalf of the first user a real-time communication session between the first smart speaker device and the second smart speaker device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to determine availability of each of the first and second user based on at least one factor comprising at least one of: a state of the second smart speaker device; recent activity detected by the second smart speaker device; sensor data detected by the second smart speaker device; and contextual data stored remotely from the second smart speaker device.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one factor used to monitor availability of the first user is different from the at least one factor used to monitor availability of the second user.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to determine that the first user is authorized by the second user prior to monitoring availability of the second user.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to, prior to initiating the real-time communication session, obtain confirmation from the first user using the first smart speaker device that the real-time communication session is to be initiated.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein initiating the real-time communication session comprises initiating a session using Session Initiation Protocol.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first smart speaker device is configured to initiate the real-time communication session by transmitting a call invitation to the second smart speaker.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to initiate the real-time communication session by transmitting an instruction to initiate the session to a call management infrastructure.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system executes an intelligent automated assistant service.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to determine that the first user is available at the first smart speaker device and the second user is available at the second smart speaker device when the server system determines that the first user is available for the real-time communication within a pre-defined period of time after determining that the second user is available for the real-time communication.
11. A method of opportunistically initiating user-to-user communication via smart speaker devices, comprising: a server system receiving an instruction from a first smart speaker device associated with a first user to establish a real-time communication session on behalf of the first user with a second smart speaker device; responsive to the instruction, the server system determining that a second user associated with the second smart speaker device is currently unavailable for real-time communication, monitoring availability of the first user at the first smart speaker device and monitoring availability of a second user at the second smart speaker device; determining, while monitoring, that the first user has ceased to be available for real-time communication; subsequently determining, while monitoring, that the second user has become available for the real-time communication; subsequently determining, while monitoring, that the first user has also become available for the real-time communication; and when it is determined that the first user is available at the first smart speaker device and the second user is available at the second smart speaker device, initiating on behalf of the first user the real-time communication session between the first smart speaker device and the second smart speaker device.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein monitoring availability comprises the server system determining availability of each of the first and second user based on at least one factor comprising at least one of: a state of the second smart speaker device; recent activity detected by the second smart speaker device; sensor data detected by the second smart speaker device; and contextual data stored remotely from the second smart speaker device.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one factor used to monitor availability of the first user is different from the at least one factor used to monitor availability of the second user.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, prior to initiating the real-time communication session, obtaining confirmation from the first user using the first smart speaker device that the real-time communication session is to be initiated.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein initiating the real-time communication session comprises initiating a session using Session Initiation Protocol.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein initiating the real-time communication session comprises first smart speaker device transmitting a call invitation to the second smart speaker.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein initiating the real-time communication session comprises the server system transmitting an instruction to initiate the session to a call management infrastructure.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determination that the first user is available at the first smart speaker device and the second user is available at the second smart speaker device occurs when a determination that the first user is available for the real-time communication is made within a pre-defined period of time after a determination that the second user is available for the real-time communication is made.
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January 28, 2019
August 18, 2020
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